The San Pedro Bay ports notched another record month in September, largely due to make-up shipments that were stalled by the pandemic earlier this year.
Dockworkers and terminal operators at the Port of Los Angeles unloaded 97 ships in September, 11 of which were unscheduled sailings.
That brings total recovered shipments to 31. In all, 66 shipments have been canceled since the onset of Covid-19.
A similar scenario played out at the Port of Long Beach. Cargo volumes there totaled 795,580 TEUs last month, a 12.5% increase compared to September 2019. Imports were up 14.3% to 405,618 TEUs while exports decreased 8.7% to 112,556 TEUs.
The volume of empty containers headed back overseas during the month increased 21.2% to 277,406 TEUs.
The port processed 92 containerships in September, including 19 unscheduled vessel calls making up trips canceled earlier this year.
“Large retail stores are reopening, merchants are stocking up for the winter holidays, and the increased use of ecommerce appears to be an enduring trend picked up by consumers during the recent stay-at-home orders,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said in a statement. “Still, we must move ahead with caution during the remaining months of 2020 because the national economy continues to be heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.”